Photographic-plate holder



G. H. SHAW.

PHoToGRAPmc PLATE HOLDER.

' APPLICATION FILED IUNE28. 1920. 1,362,193 Patented Dec, 14, 1920.

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f m f 0 z 9N. 1 j 0 'M V. A U I M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. SHAW, 0F CAMILLUS, NEW YORK.

PHOTOGRAPHIG-PLATE HOLDER.

Application filed .Tune 28,

`guides arranged in sequence side by side for receiving the photographic plates and supporting them in spaced relation within the frame for immersion in a suitable developing or other liquid which may be necessary to bring out and fix the impressions made on the sensitized surfaces of the plates.

The work of transferring the exposed `plates from the photographic plate holder to the developing plate holder is usually done in a dark room where practically all light is excluded, and, owing to this fact, considerable diiiiculty has heretofore been experienced in properly placing the plates sequentially in their respective guides in the developing plate holder by getting the opposite edges of the plates in non-registering guides so that the plates would assume a more or less diagonal position in the frame, resulting in an attempt to cross the plates, or to insert corresponding edges in the same guide, all of which leads to considerable confusion and liability of scratching or mutilating the sensitized surfaces, if not actually breaking the plates.

The main object of my invention is to obviate these difiiculties by providing the plate holder with movable devices, one for each guide, and each adjustable by hand to one position to prevent, and to another posi'n tionto permit the entrance of the photographic plate into its corresponding guide, the positions of said devices being determined by the sense of touch, and enabling the operator to easily and quickly place the plates in proper sequential position in the frame without liability of interference one with the other.

Another object is to utilize these devices as supplemental guides forming continuations of the main guides in the frame and arranged in such manner that their relative Speccaticn of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

1920. Serial No. 392,174.

positions may be quickly determined by the sense of feeling.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will be brought cut in the following description. Y

In the drawings,

Figures -land -2- are, respectively, a top plan and an end view of a developing plate holder embodying the various features of my invention.

nig. 3 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view of the same plate holder and F ig. l is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view on a slightly reduced scale and partly broken away, taken on line -1 Fig. l.

As illustrated, the frame is substantially rectangular and comprises a bottom wall -1, uprig it substantially parallel end walls 2 and opposite parallel side rails Q- connecting the upper ends of the end walls Q, thus completing a substantially rigid unitary structure or frame which is preferably made of non-corrodible sheet metal.

The end walls -2- are provided with a plurality of, in this instance 6, parallel upright guide grooves -llarranged side by side in sequence and having their open inner sides facing each other for receiving a corresponding number of photographic plates preparatory to insertion in a suitable developer container for the liquid which may be necessary for the proper development and fixing of the impressions on the sensitized surface of the plates.

The end walls -2-, however, are fixed and are only adapted to receive plates of a definite length, and in order that the same frame may be used for supporting plates of less but different lengths, I have provided an intermediate upright wall or partition h5- which is adjustable endwise of and within the frame between the end walls Q- in parallelism therewith, said partition being also `provided with a series of upright grooves -l corresponding in number to those in each of the end walls 2- and having their open sides facing the open sides of those in one of the end walls for receiving the adjacent upright edges of the photographic plates.

In order that the partition may be held in its adjusted position, the bottom wall -lis provided with a series of slots h-6 in lonffitudinally spaced relation for receiving corresponding tongues -7- on the lower end of the partition, while the top edges of the side rails -3- are provided with notches 8* also arranged in longitudinally spaced relation corresponding to that of the slots -6- for receiving the free ends of spring catches -9- having their opposite ends secured to the adjacent upright edges of the partition, said catches being provided with finger pieces -l0- projecting slightly below the lower edges of the rails -3- where they are easily accessible for inward movement by hand to disengage the catches -9 from the notches vwhen it is desired to adjust the partition, this adjustment being effected by lifting the partition out of engagement with the Slots -7- and notches -8- and replacement in their notches depending` upon the length of the plates which are to be operated upon.

iVhen the partition is used, it is evident that the guide grooves in one of the end walls only is employed in connection therewith, although, it may be possible to reverse the partition and use it .in connection with the other end wall, or, if the plates are of the same length as the distance between the end walls, the partition may be removed.

The major portions of the opposite sides of the frame between the bottom 1 and side rails -3- and between the end walls are open, while the end walls Q- and partition 5 are provided with perforations -11- to permit the developer or other liquid to pass freely therethrough and around all portions of the plates that may be temporarily held in the guide grooves -4-, which are relatively shallow longitudinally to afford free contact of the liquid with practically the entire area of the sensitized surfaces upon which the photographic impressions have been made.

For a similar reason, the lower ends of the ribs, as 4fwhich form the grooves, terminate a short distance from the bottom wall -1-, the upper ends of said ribs being extended to the top of the frame or in the horizontal plane of the upper edges of the rails i3- as shown more clearly in Figs. -3 and 4t- The construction thus far described is only one of a number of constructions which may be employed for holding plates during their immersion in the developer or other liquid, but the main feature of the invention resides in providing a series of separately operable members or devices, one for each guide groove, and each adjustable to one position for preventing, and to another po sition for permitting the entrance of the plate into the corresponding guideway so that the operator may, by the sense of touch or feeling of the positions of said members or devices, obviate the crossing of the plates in the frame, or rather the insertion of said plates in non-registering guides, or diagonally ofthe frame, it being understood that these plates are necessarily transferred from the photographic plate holder to the developer plate holder in a dark room where all light is practically excluded, and that under these conditions the operator is under the necessity of properly placingl the plates in the developer frame by the sense of touch or feeling.

These members or devices preferably consist4 of opposite sets of supplemental guides 12- hinged at one end at i3- to the upper edges of one of the end walls 2- and partition -5-, respectively, to forni extensions of the corresponding guides *si* when acjusted to one position, as shown by full lines in `lt`igs. w-l 9 and -3-, and by dotted lines in Fig. l;--, for guiding the plates in their initial entrance into the plate holder, and to fold to a substantially horizontal position at substantially right angles to and across the upper ends of the main guides 4 to prevent the entrance of the plates to the holder, or rather to indicate that the plate has already been inserted into the corresponding guides of the holder.

These supplemental guides or extensions -l2- correspond in number to the number of guides 4i-j one for each guide and t each disposed in vertical alinenient with its guide Jl-- and provided with a similar' groove -l4: forming a continuation of the corresponding groove -iwhen unfolded to an upright position.

For convenience of further description, the horizontal position of the supplemental guides or extensions -`l2- across the upper ends of their corresponding main guides -et may be termed the closed positions, while their upright positions in which they form continuations of their respective guides may be termed their open positions,77 and in order that they may be yielding-ly held in either their closed or open positions7 their hinged end faces and adjacent outer faces are substantially flat and disposed at right angles to each other for engagement by flat springs -15- which are secured, respectively, to the outer face of the corre spending end wall F--2 and partition -5*, it being understood that each supplemental guide or extension is movable through an are of substantially degrees, or from a horizontal to a vertical position, and that the tension of the springs 15H serves to hold them in either of those positions.

rlhe supplemental guides 12- of each set are movable about the same axis i3- which permits' the use of a single pivotal pin for each set, the pivotal pins being mounted in suitable bearings on the adjacent end wall -2- and partition MF,l these supplemental guides being held against axial. movement by extending the upper ends of the ribs -4 between them, thereby permitting them to move freely without friction one with the other.

As previously intimated, the correct positioning of the plates in the plate holder is determined in the dark by the sense of touch or feeling which is greatly facilitated by the mobility of the supplemental guides l2-q which may be normally in their closed or in their open positions when starting to transfer the plates from the photographic plate holder to the developer plate holder, but are preferably normally in their open positions where they are more readily accessible t0 the touch of the operator.

In operation, assuming that all of the supplemental guides are open, the operator then takes the plate between the fingers of both hands and by the sense of feeling registers the lower end of the plate with the upper ends of the first two of the supplemental guides nearest one side, and when the plate is thus registered, it is released and allowed to pass by its own weight into the frame along the corresponding guide grooves tafter which those two supplemental guides are folded downwardly across the adjacent guides -4- to close the entrance thereto, whereupon, another plate is taken up and similarly registered with the next adjacent supplemental guides and allowed to drop into the holder, the latter supplemental guides being then closed.

These operations are repeated until the plate holder is filled, said plate holder with the plates therein being then immersed in a suitable receptacle, not shown, containing the developing or other liquid necessary to bring out and fix the impressions on the sensitized surfaces of the plates.

lVhen the plates are sufficiently treated, the plate holder is withdrawn 'from the liquid and allowed to drain, after which the supplemental guides -12- may be opened and the plates removed from the holder in any suitable manner, either by lifting them or inverting the holder.

Although I have shown and described the supplemental guides as hinged to swing to and from a position across the entrance to the main guides -4, I do not wish to limit myself to that particular construction since it is evident that various other forms of hand operated devices may be used to perform a similar function by the sense of touch, it being also understood that substantially the same result may be obtained by having the supplemental guides normally closed, which would simply necessitate their sequential openingto permit the plates to be inserted in the holder, but in that case, it would not be possible to insert the plate into any of the other guides until the corresponding supplemental guides were open, and the invention is invented to be broad enough to comprehend both methods of use.

What I claim is:

l. In a photographic plate holder for developing purposes, a frame, plate guides arranged side by side in sequence, and separate devices, one for each guide and each movable at will to and from a position across its guide to enable the plates to be sequentially placed in proper position in the guides by the sense of feeling the positions of said devices.

2. In a photographic plate holder for developing purposes, the combination with a frame and plate `guides arranged side by side within the frame, of separate devices mounted on the frame, one for each guide and each movable to one position to prevent the entrance of a plate and to another position to permit said entrance.

3. In a photographic plate holder for developing purposes, the combination of a frame, opposed sets of upright parallel guides arranged side by side within the frame, and separately movable members, one for each guide and each adjustable to one position for preventing the entrance of a plate into the corresponding guide when in one position and to another position for permitting said entrance.

il. In a photographic plate holder for developing` purposes, the combination with a frame and upright parallel guides therein, of supplemental guide members, one for each guide and each movable by hand to one position to form a continuation of its guide and to another position across its guide.

5. In a photographic plate holder for developing purposes, the combination with a frame and upright parallel guides therein, of supplemental guide members, one for each guide and each movable by hand to one position to close the entrance and to another position to open the entrance to its guide.

6. In a photographic plate holder for developing purposes, the combination with a frame and upright parallel guides therein, of supplemental guide members, one for each guide and each movable by hand to one position to close the entrance and to another position to open the entrance to its guide, and separate springs for holding said inembers in either of said positions.

7. In a photographic plate holder for developing purposes, the combination of a frame, a partition adjustable lengthwise of and within the frame, means for holding` the partition in its adjusted position, said partition havin0a a series of upright guides, and separate devices mounted on the partition, one for each guide, and each movable to and from a position across its guide.

8. In a photographic plate holder for developing purposes, the combination of a frame, a partition adjustable lengthwise of another position for preventing the entrance 10 and Within the frame, means for holding the of the plate into its guide.

partition in its adjusted position7 said part- In Witness whereof I have hereunto set tion having a series of upright guides, and my hand this 16th daT olf June 1920.

5 separate devices mounted on the partition, 4 1 I 7 one for each guide, and each Inovable to and GEORGE I SHA from a position` across its guide, and old- VVltnesses: able extensions for said guides, each lnov- H. E. CHASE,

able to one position for permitting` and to ROSE I. CARROLL. 

